Brignone posts 9th win of World Cup season

She was victorious at Are giant slalom duel with Robinson

TRONDHEIM:

Italy's Federica Brignone took her ninth win of the Alpine skiing World Cup season on Saturday to take the giant slalom title battle with New Zealand's Alice Robinson down to a final race and move closer to her second overall title.

Robinson, 23, finished second -- a hefty 1.36 seconds slower -- on Swedish snow in Are and saw her lead reduced to a mere 20 points with 100 still to be won.

She and Brignone, the 34-year-old world champion who was fastest in both runs, will be the only ones in the reckoning for the crystal globe in the discipline at the final race in Sun Valley, Idaho, on March 25.

Italian-born Lara Colturi, who represents Albania, finished third.

American great Mikaela Shiffrin, winner of 100 races but still trying to regain her giant slalom form after a crash in November, skied out of the first run and dropped to 30th in the GS standings. She remained 17th overall.

Since her injury, Shiffrin has started three giant slaloms and failed to finish higher than 25th.

Brignone's 36th career World Cup win increased her overall lead to a mighty 322 points over closest rival Lara Gut-Behrami of Switzerland, who was ninth on Saturday.

"I was pushing so hard, I really like Are - it's one of my favourite giant slaloms on the tour and I love this snow," said the Italian.

"She (Robinson) is again second and it's an amazing fight ... she's an amazing skier. It's a good fight. I'm happy actually to fight for this and to have such a great skier that plays with me."

Klaebo win men's 50km mass start at Nordic World Championships

Norway's Johannes Hoesfolt Klaebo powered through the final bend to win the men's 50km mass start at the Nordic World Ski Championships on Saturday, completing an unprecedented clean sweep of six golds in front of a delighted home crowd.

Sweden's William Poromaa battled all the way but was passed coming into the final turn and had to settle for silver, while Klaebo's compatriot Simen Hegstad Krueger took bronze in a tense race resembling a Hollywood thriller over almost two hours.